Many types of marine platforms are covered in patent literature. Buoys, and in particular, spar buoys, have been used in many ways either as free floating markers or to support small and large loads. See e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,425,710 B1 and 6,719,495 B2.
Free floating and mobile marine platforms employing spar buoys for support may be used in the conduct of numerous kinds operations at sea. Buoys with the described deep water thruster arrangement for self propulsion, the arrangement of swinging ballast for the purpose of transitioning the buoy from horizontal to vertical orientation and back again, as well as the clustering spar buoys under an articulated footing to support a mobile platform, are not seen in any prior disclosure.